Key terms

Using an historical, social, and Black feminist lens, my research aims to better understand the development of the Black community considering its cultural development and despite its subjugations. The body of work and research that I am currently developing and would like to propose focuses on the concerns and phenomena that result within female communities of color, and surround topics of gender, sexuality, and hair politics. Additionally, my work investigates the political, social, and personal gains and/or losses that may resultantly incur.

Key terms

Racial passing: the acceptance of one racially categorized individual being accepted as another by a differing racial group

Colorism: the interracial and inter-racial discrimination of an individual based solely on the shade of their skin, typically showing favor to the lighter complexion

Hair Politics: the historical, cultural, psychological, and economic factors that are related to Black hair and the Black experience in light of these concerns

The roots of these nuanced issues often lie within communities in which true intimacy and accessibility are often out of reach or inaccessible to those external to them, due to the very oppression under which they exist. The importance of this work lies in the need for these issues to be further discussed and understood. A greater understanding of the Black experience as politically informed will aid in ending continued segregation and marginalization.